Hello, everyone! For this post, I’m doing something totally different for me—these are just some random song recommendations. Now, I’m not going to pretend these songs are all super obscure or anything, but I’m not going to pick classics or huge hits or anything like that. There’s a good chance you’ll know some of these songs, but you might not.

Also, these aren’t my favourite songs of all time or anything like that. There isn’t really a specific theme for this list, I just felt like giving out some song recommendations for songs I think are great, that aren’t super popular.

Also, be prepared for the possibility of bad lyrical analysis, because I’m not usually one to look super deeply into every lyric and all possible meanings.

These aren’t in any particular order, either, and now, let’s just start the list!

Recommendation #1: “Kick” by Spanish Love Songs

We’re starting this off with an emotional gut punch of a song.

I’ll be talking about Spanish Love Songs soon in a mini review of their newest album, but this is probably my favourite song from their 2020 album, Brave Faces Everyone, which is easily my favourite of their four albums, and it’s a great album with lots of lyrical complexities and details. The album is a very difficult listen, and it’s incredibly emotional … and wow, I’m not really sure what to say about this song …

I think it’s mostly a song about addiction, and feeling helpless trying to help loved ones who are addicts, and how it can feel like no matter what, the world is going to find some way to screw things up. And the production and mixing being so incredible really helps the song just hit harder, and adds so much to the emotion of the song if you ask me. It’s not a ‘fun’ song in the way you think of when you think of a ‘fun’ song—I don’t think I’d call it a fun song at all, really—but that guitar riff at the end of the chorus is catchy in a way that gives the song a feeling of hope, whatever that hope may be.

Like the rest of the album, it’s not an easy listen at all … but wow, this hits incredibly hard, and while I don’t think the album would have been anywhere close to my album of the year in 2020, with songs like this I at least get why it was so many critics’ album of the year … incredible stuff.

Recommendation #2: “Sunset” by Caroline Polachek

I’ve made it no secret that I’m not usually a fan of Caroline Polachek’s music … at all, really (based on the two albums of hers I’ve heard, that is). And while I probably like her newest album slightly more than her 2019 album Pang, I still am not a fan of her new album at all … but I’m not going to deny that I do think “Sunset” is a pretty great song—I mean, it’s got some minor production elements I don’t really like all that much, but the melodies are super catchy, and the guitars and vocals work really well together!

I mean, I’m not sure I have high expectations for Caroline’s next album, whenever that is, but with songs like this, I’m at least slightly intrigued.

Recommendation #3: “Fluffy” by Wolf Alice

There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to call Wolf Alice underrated, because they’ve gotten a lot of critical acclaim … but at the same time, how often is it that I can say I at least borderline love all three albums a band has released and truly mean it? And I say ‘borderline’ because Visions of a Life, my least favourite Wolf Alice album, is quite flawed in my opinion, and I’m not entirely sure that I truly love it, but I still like that album a lot! And their other 2 albums are absolutely fantastic!

“Fluffy” is one of the biggest highlights for me from their 2015 debut, My Love Is Cool, with it’s pounding drums, incredibly hard-hitting distorted guitar, and frontwoman Ellie Rowsell being an absolutely phenomenal singer as always, with her melodic vocals in the verses and the screams in the chorus!

The lyrics are full of frustration of feeling with a lack of direction in the narrator’s life, and the screams in the chorus really amplify that, leading to a total banger that holds no punches!

Recommendation #4: “Yer Not the Ocean” by The Tragically Hip

This is probably the first time I’ve talked about The Tragically Hip on this website, and … well, I’ve got some strange, kind of complicated feelings on their music—to keep it brief, The Tragically Hip are one of the bands who helped me get into music as a kid, and I actually saw them live on their final tour, which is a great memory that I’ll forever cherish! This band is legendary in Canada but never really became famous worldwide, or even in the USA … and I can recognize how unique of a songwriter Gord Downie was and I understand why so many people love The Tragically Hip’s music so much, and as tragic as it is that Gord passed away from cancer in 2017, it was beautiful seeing how the country came together to celebrate his life and celebrate The Tragically Hip.

With all that being said, going back to a lot of their music now, I can admit I’m nowhere near the biggest Tragically Hip fan—I guess they were a gateway band for me—but that’s not to say I’m not a fan. And “Yer Not the Ocean” is a great track from their 2006 album World Container; the guitars on this track sound excellent, the snare gives the song a lot of punch, and Gord’s lyrics are fascinating as usual, even if I don’t really know what the song’s about. But I will say, there’s a feeling of the narrator fighting against something that might be holding this person back from achieving something, and with the great production and instrumentation, and Gord’s vocals, I think the song really has that power to it!

It’s not quite my favourite song from the album, but it’s still a great song with a killer chorus and some fantastic lines such as, ‘You’re not the ocean, you’re up to my toes.’ It’s not one of my all-time favourite Tragically Hip songs—they do have quite a few songs I love, even if I don’t usually love their albums—but I’m still a big fan of this song, and if you’re looking to get into The Tragically Hip, this song is a great place to start!

Recommendation #5: “Midnight Snack” by Graham Walker

Here’s a song by someone I actually know personally, and it’s from an album I listened to a lot as a very young kid—out of curiosity, I went back to this album now that I’m an adult, and as much as I could try to be ‘cool’ and pretend I don’t like it simply because it’s music made for young kids, I’d rather be honest and admit that even as an adult, I like the album quite a bit!

I don’t love the album—not even close—but I do like it, and I think it’s really good for what it is.

“Midnight Snack” is a hilarious tale of someone going into the kitchen in the middle of the night, discovering all the food is alive and partying, and then it all goes right back to where it was as soon as a carrot notices they’re all being watched—it’s very clearly made for a very young audience, but it’s a brilliant idea for a song, and it’s quite fun, with a really good, catchy chorus! So, yeah, I think this is pretty great!

Recommendation #6: “Nana Piano” by Kelly Lee Owens

Here’s an instrumental track which mostly just features piano, and it’s absolutely gorgeous! The piano tones sound pretty much perfect, creating an incredible atmosphere! And the melodies are incredible, too!

It’s not a song that gives me a lot to say, but it’s got this huge, massive feeling to it despite being so mellow, and it’s an excellent track!

Recommendation #7: “Archive Material” by Silverbacks

Here’s some great post-punk, the title track from Silverbacks’ 2022 album, with some incredibly catchy guitars and great drumming! The grooves are great, with the timing of the instruments being pretty much spot-on, and those snares sound phenomenal!

It’ll probably only take a few listens for this song to get totally stuck in your head—and I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, because this song rules!

Recommendation #8: “Ornament” by Screaming Females

I reviewed Screaming Females’ newest album earlier this year, and while this isn’t quite my favourite song from the album, it’s probably my second favourite; the drums are crushing, the guitar riffs are great and the guitar distortion gives the song a lot more punch, and that bassline feels like the foundation for the whole thing and absolutely rules!

And Marissa Paternoster’s vocals are also fantastic, and I like the lyrics which seem to at least partially be about someone always wanting more and feeling like something’s missing.

This is the kind of rock music that I absolutely love, where the production and mixing give the song a lot of punch, with great-sounding snares and awesome distorted guitars! No element feels like it overpowers the mix, and it leads to an absolutely awesome rock song!

Recommendation #9: “All or Nothing” by MONOWHALES

So, MONOWHALES’ 2022 sophomore album was a huge disappointment for me, and I don’t really like any song from that album … but even their debut which I like a lot more isn’t totally my thing—but “All or Nothing” is definitely one of the biggest standouts on the album for me, with its huge, anthemic chorus, and great vocals and production!

It’s just such a great song that puts me in a good mood! It doesn’t give me a ton to say, but it’s absolutely worth hearing if you ask me!

Recommendation #10: “I Wanna Be Your Mirror” by Temples

I’m not super familiar with Temples’ discography—I’m pretty sure I’ve only heard two albums of theirs—but from what I have heard of their music … well, I can’t say I’m nearly as wowed by it as a lot of critics are. I reviewed their newest album earlier this year, and I couldn’t get into it at all, and while I like 2017’s Volcano more than their new one I’m still not nearly as big a fan of it as a lot of critics are.

But that’s not to say I don’t think “I Wanna Be Your Mirror” is absolutely fantastic, because I absolutely love this song! The percussion sounds absolutely excellent, as it blends super well with the synths and guitars, and the vocal melodies are very catchy and very memorable!

I love that sudden shift to the chorus where it has a totally different sound than the verses, and while I get how it might feel awkward for some, there’s this charm that I can’t quite describe here that just makes it work!

And there’s a lot of fascinating lyrics on this track which seem to be about envy, and for some strange reason I can’t quite explain I think the lyrics and melodies fit each other really well! And that chorus totally rules!

If you’re into psychedelic pop or psychedelic rock, you’ll probably really love this song! At least I certainly do!

…

This kind of post isn’t going to become a regular thing for me, but I decided to do this to change things up a bit. Anyway, I’ll be back soon with a mini review post in which I’ll be doing something quite different. Thanks for reading!